Liquid cooler



A. A. KUCHER 1,757,638

LIQUID COOLER Fi1 ed April 11, 192.5 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 6,1930.-

J INVENTOR WITNESS ATT RNEYQ y 1930- I A. A. KUCHQEIR i Q 1,757,638

LIQUID COOLER ".mwucher' lflll'lillillillll I I INVENTOR WITNESS ATTORNEY May 6, 1930. A. A, KUCHER 1,757, 38

LIQUID COOLER Filed April 11, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 m as INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. A. KUCHER May 6, 1930.

LIQUID COOLER 4 Sheets-Sheet fl.fl.Kucher INVENTOR ATTORN EY Filed April 11, 1925 Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANDREW A. KUCHER, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR '10 WESTINGHOUSE c ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

LIQUID coonnr.

Application filed April 11, 1925. Serial No. 22,417.

My invention relates to liquid coolers, particularly to coolers of the portable type which are usually supplied with water in such receptacles as bottles, etc., and it has for an object to provide an apparatus of the character designated which shall be mechanically operated and capable of always maintaining a substantial body of water at a desired tem perature. It has for a further object to em- 1 0 body, in such a cooler, a refrigerating appa ratus of the compression type, the apparatus tobe electrically actuated and capable of producing the required refrigerating effect eflicicntly and reliably for an extended period of time.

These and other objects, which will be made apparent throughout the further description of my invention, may be attained by the employment of the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of one form of my novel cooler; Fig. 2 is a detail view, in sectional elevation, of the fluid outlet provided in the evaporator shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are views. partly in section and partly in elevation, of other embodiments of my liquid cooler employing different forms of condensers from that shown in Fig. 1'

and Fig. 5 is a view, in sectional elevation, of the water valve employed in Fig. 3.

Briefly speaking, my cooler comprises a vertical structure supporting a refrigerating chamber for cooling a liquid, the upper portion of the chamber being adapted to receive an inverted bottle of the type usually employed in office buildings and the like. Associatcd with the supporting structure is a novel form of mechanical refrigerating 0 mechanism which is of the compression type and capable of maintaining a quantity of the liquid removed from the bottle at a desired temperature.

Mechanical refrigerating mechanisms of the type referred to, may be broadly divided into two classes, air and water cooled, as determined by the medium employed for condensing the refrigerant vapor. I prefer to use water, inasmuch as lower condensing pressures may be maintained with water than the water cooler type because of the advantages enumerated. I have therefore evolved a thermo-syphonic system of condensin 'water circulation which requires no externa connecting piping. In this system, a portion of the refrigerated water is employed to condense the refrigerant vapor. The relative positions of'the condenser, the refrigerating chamber and the bottle supplying the water to be cooled are such that successive temperature changes assumed by the water, in its passage through the cycle, are sufiicient to'induce the required amount of circulation. Such an arrangement permits of the wellknown advantages of water cooling and at the same time provides a cooler'having no external piping or "connections except the flexible cord connecting the motor of the cooler to any suitable source of electrical energy, such as the well-known lamp socket. My mechanical cooler is so constructed that the space occupied is substantially that of the well-known form of cooler employing ice to produce the required cooling effect. The advantages of a mechanicalcooler over the heretofore generally employed ice cooler are obvious inasmuch as the former requires less care and supervision,'water of any desired temperature may be produced and the cost of operation ceases coincident with the switching oif of the electrical current.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of my invention, I show in Fig. 1 a cooler comprising a supporting structure 10 upon which is mounted a cylindrical casing 11.- Disposed in the lower portion of the casing is a condensing chamber 12 having a compressor 13 together with its driving motor 14 located therein. The compressor 13 is provided with a port 15 for discharging refrigerant vapor and located above the discharge port '15 is a battle 16 for removing any li uid which may be entrained in the vapor disc arged by the compressor. The entrained liquid thus removed from the re frigerant vapor is deposited in a receptacle 17 formed by a wall 18 projecting from a housing of the motor and entirely surrounding the compressor 13. Liquid accumulating in the receptacle 17 is conveyed by a conduit 19 to the compressor for lubricating and sealing the same. Provided in the condensing chamber 12 is a condensing coil 21 which surrounds the compressor and the motor and has a suitable inlet connection 22 and an outlet connection 23. Liquid condensed in the condensing chamber is removed therefrom by a conduit 24 to a. float chamber 25 within which is disposed a float valve 26 for controlling the flow of condensed fluid from the condensing chamber. Liquid which passes the float valve 26 is conveyed by a conduit 27 to an'evaporator. 28. The evaporator 28nis disposed within a refrigeratingchamber 29 which contains a quantity of the liquid to be cooled.

Vapor generated in the evaporator is returned to the compression mechanism by a conduit 31. As shown in Fig. 2, the conduit 31 is so arranged that its entrant portion 32 is disposed abovethe level of the liquid contained in the evaporator, as indicated at 33. Surroundingthe entrant portion 32 of the conduit 31 is an inverted tube 34 which projects below the'liquid level and has provided in its lower portion a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 35 and in its upper portion a vent 36. Surrounding the inverted tube 34 is a cup 37 which projects above the level of the'liquidbut which has disposed below thelevel of the liquid a small aperture 38 for permitting a predetermined quantity I of liquid to become-entrained in the refrigerant vapor passingdownwardly between the outer Walls of the inverted-tube 34 and theinner walls of the cup 37. Both the inverted r tube 34and the cup 37 may be supported upon the conduit 31. As shown in Fig. 1, the con i duit 31 connects with'an inlet passage 41provided in the condensing chamber which passage in turn communicates with the bore of a hollow shaft 42 provided for the motor 14. The hollow shaft 42 communicates through a port 43 with a suction vided in the compressor 13.

Liquid to be cooled may be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 29 in many different ways. However, I have shown a bottle 51 V which may be inverted and applied or inserted in a receiving chamber 52, as is the customary practice with water coolers employing 100 as a'refrlgerant. The bottle 51 1s so arranged that a considerable portion of its surface is exposed to the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. I prefer to so arrange the bottle within the receiving chamber 52 that a water level, as indicated at 53, is maintained tion of heat therebetween.

port 44 protherein. A suitable vent 54 is provided in the receiving chamber for permitting atmospheric pressure to act upon the surface of the water contained in the receiving chamber.

Interposed between the receiving chamber 52 and the refrigerating chamber 29 is an insulated wall 54 for preventing the -conduc- In the wall 54 there is provided a passage 55 for permitting the liquid to drain downwardly so that the refrigerating chamber is completely flooded at all times. later is removed from the refrigerating chamber for drinking or any other purpose by means of a suitable spigot or valve 56.

A quantity of the water contained in the refrigerating chamber is conveyed by a conduit 57 to the inlet 22 of the condensing coil. Water discharged by the condensing coil is conveyed by a conduit 58 to a coil or radiator 59 which surrounds the cylinder 11. This coil is provided with a discharge pipe 60 which projects upwardly into the bottle 51 for returning the liquid, which has been employed in the condensing process. Suitable heat insulating means 61 is provided between the refrigerating chamber 29 and the cylinder 11 for preventing the conduction of heat inwardly to the refrigerating chamber. A suitable jacket 62 surrounds the radiator 59. and is so arranged that air is free to circulate upwardly over the coils comprising the radi ator 59.

' The condensing chamber .12 and the evapor'ator 28. are both filled to alevel, such as in-- dicated respectively at 20 and 33, with a suitable working fluid. The working fluid which I prefer'to employ consists of a refrigerant and a lubricant which readily mix one with the other to form. a homogeneous mixture or physical solution as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,645,198, issued Oct. 11, 1927, for work ing fluidfor refrigeration. Upon insertion of the bottle 51 in the receiving chamber 52, the water flows downwardly and fills the refrigerating chamber 29, the passage 55 and the receiving chamber 52 to the approximate level indicated at 53.- Atmospheric pressure acts upon thesurfaee of the water 53 to equalize the head of water contained in the bottle 51, in a manner well understood in the art. Upon starting the motor 14, the initial ro tations of the compressor 13 draw, through the conduit 31, the passage 41, the bore of the hollow shaft 42, and the ports 43 and 44, a

. working parts of the compression mechanism in passing therethrough. A vent 36 is provided in the tube 34 in order to avoid the possibility of liquid siphoning out of the evaporator through the conduit 31 during any idle period. c The above novel method of initially supplying a liquid to the inlet of a compression mechanism and thereafter a vapor having-cntrained therein a quantity of liquid for sealing and lubricating the same is disclosed in my Patent 1,656,917, issued January 24, 1928, for Refrigeration.

Refrigerant vapor withdrawn from the evaporator is discharged through the outlet port 15 and is impinged upon the baffle 16,

whereupon the entrained liquid is separated from the refrigerant vapor. The separated entrained liquid falls downwardly over the compression mechanism into the receptacle 17, any excess liquid overflowing into the lower part of the condensing chamber. The liquid contained in the receptacle 17 surrounds the compressor 13 and absorbs the heat of the compression and at the same time a portion of the heat generated by the motor. The heat of the motor and the compressor is suflicient to vaporize off the refrigerant, leaving a body of liquid contained in the receptacle 17 which is substantially a lubricant. This lubricant is conveyed by the conduit 19 to the upper portion of the compressor 13 after which it drains downwardly through the various bearingssupporting the shaft structure 42 to the lower portion of the motor chamber whereupon it passes through the drain hole 30 and is entrained in the refrigerant vapor flowing to the compressor. Such a novel method of absorbing the heat of the compression mechanism and of separating the lubricant from the refrigerant is disclosed in my Patent No. 1,719,807 issued July 2, 1929, for Refrigerator.

The refrigerant vapor discharged by the con'ipressor as well as the refrigerant vapor liberated by the heating of the liquid in the receptacle 17 passes radially outward to the vicinity of the condensing coil 21 which absorbs the heat of the vaporization, the condensate thus formed collecting in the lower portion of the chamber. The passage of' the liquid from the condensing chamber -to the evaporator, because of the lower pressure prevailing therein, is controlled by means of the float valve 26. Upon ac'cumulation of a predetermined amount of liquid in the condensing chamber, the float valve lifts to permit the liquid to flow through the conduits 24 and 27 to the evaporator 28 where the refrigerant contained in the liquid is again vaporized and the cycle of operation repeated.

The vaporization of the refrigerant vapor in the evaporator 28 absorbs heat from the liquid surrounding the evaporator, thus producing a substantial body of cold liquid in the cooling chamber 29. readily withdrawn at any time by opening the faucet 56. Some of the cold liquid con-- tained in the cooling chamber 29 is conveyed by means of the conduit 57 to the lower end of the condensing coil 21. In flowing through the condensing coil 21, the cold water absorbs the latent heat of the refrigerant vapor and I have found that the temperature assumed by this condensing water usually ex-' ceeds that of the surrounding atmosphere. The warniwater is conveyed to the radiator 59 having a substantial heat-absorbing surface which reduces its temperature to substantially that of the atmosphere prior to its return through the conduit 60 to the bottle 51. While I have described the use of a radiator for reducing the temperature of the liquid prior to its return to the bottle, I may dispense with this radiator as I have This liquid may be found. under certain operating conditions,

that the radiating surface of the bottle 51 is sufficient to reduce the temperature of the water. to substantially that of the surrounding atmosphere prior to its re-entry into the refrigerating chamber 29. It will be noted.

that the water leaves the bottle at substantially room temperature, passes to the refrigerating chamber 29 wherein its temperature is reduced, for example, 25 to 35 degrees F., is subsequently exposed to the relatively warm temperature [of the refrigerant vapor and heated to a temperature above that of the atmosphere, after which its temperature is reduced again to substantially that of the atmosphere either by the use of a suitable heat radiator or by the radiation effected through the walls of the bottle. The arrangement of the evaporator with respectwto the condenser is such that theheating takes place at a point below the cooling, and consequently a'thermosyphoniccirculation of condensing water is effected. My cooler is so arranged that. the condensing coil is flooded with water at all times. In starting, the production of'only aslight amount of refrigeration makes colder water available for condensing purposes so that the body of water contained in the refrigerating chamber 29 is very rapidly cooled to the desired temperature. Such rapid pro duction of cold water is a feature that is to be very much desired in a mechanical water cooler. Still another advantage of my novel wall 7 3 of the housing 71.

coil is removed from the chamber 12 surrounding the compressor 13 and the motor 14. In this embodiment, the motor and compressor are housed within a common chamber 71 having its outer surfaces exposed to the atmosphere. The heat of the motor is dissipated in part by radiation through the walls of the chamber 71 and in part by the absorption of heat by the liquid contained in, the receptacle 17, in a manner similar to that heretofore described.

The vapor discharged by the compressor 13, which hasentrained therein'a quantity of liquid working fluid, is conveyed through a conduit 72 and impinged against an upper The liquid drains downwardly into the receptacle 17 while the refrigerant vapor flows upwardly through a conduit 74 to a condensing coil 75. The condensing coil 75 surrounds the cylindrical casing 11 and is provided with a return pipe 76 for conveying the condensate to the float chamber 25. 'The removal of. condensate from the float chamber 25, as permitted by the movements of the float valve 26, is performed bymeans of a conduit 77 which communicates with the evaporator 28. Refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator is returned to the inlet of the compressor 13 by a suitable conduit 78. An overflow pipe 79 communieates with the interior of the housing 71 and with the conduit 76 for permitting the discharge of any excess lubricant which may accumulate in the receptacle 17.

Condensing water is supplied from the r frigerating chamber 29 by means of a special form of valve 81 to a cooling coil 82. The cooling coil 82 is arranged concentrically within the condensing coil 75 and is provided with an outlet 88 for returning the heated water to the storage chamber 52.

As shown in Fig. 5, the water valve 81 comprises a casing 84 having an inlet 85 and outlets 86 and 87. The inlet 85 communicates with the refrigerating chamber 29 while the outlet 86 is connected to the condensing coil 82. The outlet 87 is suitable for withdrawing water from the cooler for drinking or other purposes. The operation of the valve is controlled by a hand-actuated plunger 88 which is provided with a spring 89 for biasing the plunger to the position illustrated, that is,

ment of the plunger causes a shoulder 92, provided thereon, to contact with a valve disc 93, normally held in a closed position by a compression spring 94, and to move the valve disc 92-3 from its seat 95. \Vater is then permitted to flow from the refrigerating chamber 2'.) through the inlet 85, through. suitable ports 96 provided in the sleeve 91 and through the clearance between the valve disc 93 and its seat 95 to the valve outlet 87. Upon removal of the necessary pressure from the plunger 88, the springs 89 and 94 return the sleeve 91 and the valve disc 93 to the positions illustrated, whereupon the passage of water through the outlet 87 is suspended and communication is re-established between the rcfrigerating chamber and the condensing coil.

It will be apparent from the description of Figs. 3 and 5, that such an arrangement also possesses the advantages of my novel system for circulating condensing water. In such an embodiment. the relatively cold water is removed from the lower portion of the refrigerating chamber 29, passes upwardly through the cooling coil 82, being heated in its upward passage, and is returned to the storage chamber 52 after which it may be again conveyed to the refrigerating chamber 29 through the passage 55. The condensing and cooling coils are so arranged that the coil 75, which contains the refrigerant vapor, has its outer surface exposed to the temperature of the atmosphere. The latent heat of the refrigerant fluid is therefore absorbed in part by the Water in the cooling coil 82 and in part by radiation to the atmosphere.

The cooling and condensing coils and the refrigerating chamber are so arranged with respect to each other that the required thermo-syphonic circulation of condensing water is effected.

In the' embodiment shown in Fig. 3, I have reconstructed the storage chamber 52 so as to permit the same to be readily connected, by a conduit 97, to any suitable source of supply, such as a city water main. A float valve 98 is provided for controlling the admission of water to the storage chamber and for maintaining an approximate level of water,-such as indicated at 99. It is apparent, therefore, that my novel form of water cooler may not only be supplied with water from bottles or similar containers, but that it conduit 101 to the upper end of a condensing coil 102 from which the condensate drains by means of a conduit 103 to the lower end of the chamber 12. The coil 102 surrounds the cylindrical casing 11 and condensation of the refrigerant vapor is effected by the" natural circulation of air currents upwardly between the cylindrical casing 11 and the outer casing 62. The condenser refrigerant fluid passes through the chamber 12 before entering the float chamber 25, the fluid is conveyed to the evaporator 28 and returned to thecompressor 13 in the manner heretofore' described. The level of condensed refrigerant in the chamber 12, which is indicated at 105, is controlled by the location of the outlet 103. The condensed refrigerant is thus utilized, in its passage through the chamber 12 to absorb the heat. generated by the motor 14. In all other respects this embodiment is similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have invented a very novel and practical form of water cooler which,while closely resembling the form of cooler widely employed and using ice as a refrigerating medium, nevertheless possesses the well-known advantages of mechanical refrigeration. Such a device is especially adapted for use in office buildings and the like wherein the motor may be started coincident with the commencement of the business day and switched ofl upon the close of the day. By the use of such a cooler, a substantial quantity of water is maintained a-ta predetermined temperature for any desired period of time irrespective of the room tem erature. The device is readily portable and may be set in operation merely by connecting the motor to any available lamp socket.

While I have shown my invention in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser and an evap-,

orator, a container arranged in heat exchangmg relation with the evaporator for effecting cooling of a body of liquid, means for withdrawing cooled liquid from the container, and means operating concurrently with the cooling process for utilizing liquid cooled in the container as a cooling medium in the condenser.

2. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus includ ing a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids associated with the evaporator, a vessel exposed to the temperature of the atmosphere for supplying liquid to be cooled, means for withdrawing liquid from the cooler, means for employing liquid from the cooler as a cooling medium in the condenser, and means for returning the liquid from the condenser to the vessel.

3. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids associated with the evaporator, a vessel for supplying liql'id to be cooled, means for withdrawing liquid from the cooler, means for employing liquid from the cooler as a cooling medium in the condenser, means for returning the liquid from the condenser to the vessel, and means interposed between the condenser and the vessel for reducing the temperature of the returning liquid. u

4. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus includingv a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids associated with the evaporator, a vessel for supplying liquid to be cooled, means for withdrawing liquid from the cooler, means for employing liquid from the cooler as a cooling medium in the condenser, means for returning the liquid from the condenser to the vessel, and a radiator surrounding the cooler for reducing the temperature of the returning liquid.

5. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids associated with the evaporator, a vessel having heat-radiating surfaces for supplying liquid to be cooled, means for Withdrawing liquid from the cooler, means for employing liquid from the cooler as a cooling medium in the condenser,

means for returning the liquid from the conliquid from the cooler, means for utilizing cold liquid from the cooler as a condensing medium in the condenser, and means for returning the condensing medium to the vessel.

7. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus in-.

charged by the condenser to the vessel, and

means for reducing the temperature of the warm liquid prior to its return to the vessel.

8. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids disposed'in heatexchanging relation with the evaporator, a vessel for supplying liquid to the cooler, and a conduit system for effecting a thermosyphonic circulation of liquid through the cooler, the condenser and the vessel successively.

9. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser and an evaporater, a cooler for liquidsarranged in heatexchanging relation with the evaporator, a vessel for passing relatively warm liquid downwardly to the cooler, means for withdrawing cold liquid from the cooler, means for conveying cold liquid from the cooler to the condenser, and a conduit for the return of the relatively warm liquid discharged by the condenser to the vessel, whereby a thermosyphonic circulation of condensing water is effected.

' 10. A method of maintaining a supply of relatively cold liquid which consists in reducing the temperature of a liquid by a compression refrigeration process, employing a portion of the cooled liquid as a condensing medium in the condenser of the refrigerating apparatus, returning the relatively Warm liquid discharged by the condenser to the source of supply, and reducing the tempera- 65 ture of the relatively warm liquid discharged by the condenser to substantially room temperature by radiation.

11. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a supporting structure, a compressor, a motor 60 for driving the compressor, a fluid tight chamber supported upon the structure and enclosing the compressor and the motor, means for condensing refrigerant vapor dis charged by the compressor, an evaporator dis- 65 posed above the chamber said evaporator com= prising a substantially cylindrical vessel, areservoir surrounding the evaporator, said reservoir being adapted to receive an inverted vesselcontainmgliquid to be cooled, and means for withdrawing cooled liquid from the reservoir. I

12. In'a liquid cooler, the combination of a supporting structure, a compressor, a motor adapted to receive liquid to be cooled from an inverted vessel, and means for withdrawing cooled liquid from the reservoir.

13. In a liquid cooler, the combination of a supporting structure, refrigerant fluid condensing and compressing mechanism carried b the structure, an evaporator disposed a ove the condensing and compressing mechanisms, said evaporator having both cylindrical and conico-cylindrical portions, means for conveying refrigerant liquid from the condensing mechanism to the conico-cylindrical portion of the evaporator, means for withdrawing refrigerant vapor from the cylindrical portion of the evaporator to the compressing mechanism, a cooler for liquids disposed in heat transfer relation with the evaporator, and means for withdrawing liquid from the cooler.

14. In a cooling apparatus, the combination of a compression refrigerating apparatus including a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids arranged in heat transfer relation with the evaporator, means for supplying liquid to the cooler, and means for effecting a thermo-syphonic circulation of liquid through the cooler, the condenser and the supply means.

15. In a cooling apparatus,'the combination of a refrigerating apparatus including a condenser and an evaporator, a cooler for liquids disposed in heat exchanging relation with the evaporator, and means for effecting a thermo-syphonic circulation of. liquid between the cooler and the condenser.

16. In a cooling apparatus, the combina- 

